Monday, May 18, 2015

Ramblings Post #291I've read science fiction/fantasy for years, sometimes seeing the story it originated from and other times missing the point entirely. What I have a problem with now, is that people who don't read it are discovering it because Hollywood finally ran out of other ideas. And they're having a horrible time trying to apply their current outlook on life and modern society to something that would regard them just as much fantasy in return. It's like hearing people discuss why the physics don't work in your favorite comic book. Ugh. That's not why we're here people!

by Fernando Mendonça

For the people upset at the ending of
Game of Thrones episode “Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken” I’m fairly certain
that Disney will welcome you back with open arms.

Killing
and beheading because a character is a little miffed? Oh sure. Onscreen
disemboweling when a quick allusion to the death would suffice? Yes
please. A completely in context story point and character appropriate
action that results
in an assault on a woman? Oh my god what am I watching, you horrid
horrid people!

Sansa was in a room with Ramsey
Bolton. Locked in a room. On her wedding night. If nothing else, the cultural
assumption for the setting, in just the basic the context of the story, was
that something had to happen. No ifs, no ands, no buts. I really hope no one thought Sansa would
somehow seduce Ramsey and masterfully maintain the fragile bit of
agency she’d gained in the past few episodes. And the idea that she’d
get the same deal from Ramsey that Tyrion gave her was a fanciful notion
at best. By the Seven, her new ‘husband’ neutered
the other person in the room, something which received no outcry at all
if I remember correctly. The idea that this ‘event’ wasn’t going to be
pleasant shouldn’t have been shocking or even unexpected.

Get a grip people.

I get irked when people who don’t know
the genre or the style of story get upset trying to apply modern values
or cultural norms. This is a despicable character doing a very
despicable thing in a time and place where despicable things were
all too commonplace. No, this wasn’t in the book, what was in the book
was much, much worse – although it happened to a character Ramsey just
thought was a Stark, but it still happened. But this television, or a
serial drama, or however you want to characterize
it, and things are condensed. So this happened. Again, Disney is like
four channels over. Bye.

By Fernando Mendonça

But since we’re off the books anyway
and Brienne is around the corner, might we get a light at the highest
window of the tower? Brienne kidnaps Sansa and the daughter becomes
Lady Stoneheart instead of her resurrected mother, due to this trauma? Maybe we’ll get to see
Ramsay get his comeuppance, something I now hope to happen like I wanted Joffrey to die. All things are possible.

Seriously people, in an episode all
about lies, with Arya learning to to lie, Loras and Margery lying with
imperial pomposity, and Tyrion and Jorah lying to save their skins and
other parts, the simply idea that Ramsey Bolton wasn’t lying
when he gave his word to Littlefinger that he “wouldn’t hurt her”
shouldn’t have been a shock at all.

Barkeep, some wine. I don't know, what ever the vintage they drink at King's Landing will do.

Sunday, May 17, 2015

I lived a long walk away from Chastain Park for five years when I first moved to Atlanta. There they have one of the best venues in town to watch a concert. I saw a couple of shows there, good times, but the one I always wanted to see was the annual concert BB King would have near the end of the season. Just for the chance to see him play live. But I could never afford the tickets...

I had read that he'd been doing poorly as of late, but I figured he'd pull through. That he might still play or show or two from time to time and one night, say a Wednesday in Memphis, I'd be having dinner with friends and get to see him a one-off performance.

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Ramblings Post #290It is what it's gonna be. I've been gone for a minute, if it wasn't one thing it was another. But I'm back and after liking the Cowboys draft I'm back on football for a minute. I got a few other things I'm gonna comment on, a few other ideas rolling around my head but right now I'm on this. So don't let the smooth taste fool ya!

The Jets fans move quick - via Manish Mehta's twitter

First, let’s get one thing straight.

The
NFL is punishing Tom Brady and the Pats for cheating on the field
during a game. I’ve seen a number of memes about how the league is
treating this “trifle” as a similar infraction to domestic violence or
alleged child abuse, and it’s
not a fair comparison. Those issues people like to point out are issues
from outside of football, societal issues, and we’ve only recently, for other reasons,
taken to punishing those individuals extra-judicially in this forum for those
infractions. But that shouldn’t minimize or mitigate any
discussion about “on the field” infractions and their penalties.

So there’s that.

Now,
after reading an article on Slate, by what must have been a Patriots fan, I seriously think that Brady and the Pats got off easy. Playing in
the NFL, as we get reminded often isn’t a right but a privilege. That
the golden boy is still
playing at all is a miracle after he stood up and blatantly lied to the
press that he knew nothing about it, refused to cooperate with the investigation and we found out there was a guy
on the Patriots’ staff who called himself “the deflator”. It’s not like
he was deflating them for the backup QBs.

Again,
the person who intercepted the ball had it for less than 30 seconds and
knew something was off with it. For Brady to have handled it 50 times
in the same game and not noticed the difference borders on the surreal.
Brady has played
football man and boy for more than 20 years. He should intuitively know how
the ball feels. Imagine your keyboard at work is missing a single key.
You might not notice at first, but as the day goes on it would become an
issue, wouldn’t it? Unless of course, you
were "used" to it being that way. (Note: this is not implying that this
happens all the time and this is one time they got caught. I would not do that. )

The
reality is a top tier team getting caught cheating for the second time
(see Spygate) is shortly going to start having detrimental effects upon
the integrity of the game – if not angering the 31 other owners who are
getting cheated.
Are they really a top tier team? Were all those wins really wins?
Because letting some people cheat begets why this set of rules questions, a performance enhancing drug
conversation, a salary cap discussion, then even a bigger money
roundtable and before you know it we have the two richest teams
playing each in the SuperBowl every year because no one else can afford
to compete.* Slipperly slopes are slippery for a reason.

Brady
is 37, way past his prime, and if he isn’t already, should be thinking
hard about retirement. Let’s be honest, the only reason he didn’t get a
year off is because his name is Brady he puts buts in the seats. But we
have to do something
now, some sort of punishment, as this will all be forgotten by the time the Hall of Fame question
arises. What’s sad is that this means the NFL doesn’t have the
integrity of International Bike Racing.

Barkeep. Another Lime Rickey.

*Yeah, like baseball. Keep in mind this might take twenty years to happen. But
since the now DBs are just about having to defend with their hands
behind their backs this isn’t as crazy as it sounds.